South Armagh (UK Parliament constituency)

South Armagh was a UK Parliament constituency in Ireland which returned one Member of Parliament from 1885 to 1922, using the first past the post electoral system.

South Armagh
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
1885–1922
Number of membersOne
Replaced byArmagh
Created fromArmagh

Boundaries and boundary changes

This constituency comprised the southern part of County Armagh.

From 1885 to 1918 the constituency was bounded to the north and north-west by Mid Armagh, to the south-west by South Monaghan, to the south by North Louth, to the south-east by the Borough of Newry and to the east by South Down. In 1918, that part of the constituency in the urban district of Newry was added to the South Down constituency. Between 1918 and 1922 the neighbouring seats were the same except that Louth was an undivided county constituency and Newry had been absorbed into South Down.

1885–1918: The barony of Orior Upper, and those parts of the baronies of Fews Lower, Fews Upper and Orior Lower not contained within the constituency of Mid Armagh.

1918–1922: That part of the existing South Armagh constituency comprised in the administrative county of Armagh.

Prior to the 1885 United Kingdom general election and from the dissolution of Parliament in 1922 the area was part of the Armagh constituency.

Politics

The constituency was a predominantly Nationalist area. In 1918 the Nationalists heavily defeated Sinn Féin.

The First Dáil

Sinn Féin contested the general election of 1918 on the platform that instead of taking up any seats they won in the United Kingdom Parliament, they would establish a revolutionary assembly in Dublin. In republican theory every MP elected in Ireland was a potential Deputy to this assembly. In practice only the Sinn Féin members accepted the offer.

The revolutionary First Dáil assembled on 21 January 1919 and last met on 10 May 1921. The First Dáil, according to a resolution passed on 10 May 1921, was formally dissolved on the assembling of the Second Dáil. This took place on 16 August 1921.

In 1921 Sinn Féin decided to use the UK authorised elections for the Northern Ireland House of Commons and the House of Commons of Southern Ireland as a poll for the Irish Republic's Second Dáil. This constituency, in republican theory, was incorporated in a four-member Dáil constituency of Armagh.

Members of Parliament
ElectionMemberParty
1885 Alexander Blane Irish Parliamentary Party
1891 Irish National League
1892 Edward McHugh Irish National Federation
1900 John Campbell Healyite Nationalist
1906 William McKillop Irish Parliamentary Party
1909 Charles O'Neill Irish Parliamentary Party
1918 Patrick Donnelly Irish Parliamentary Party
1922 Constituency abolished

Elections

Elections in the 1880s
General election 27 November 1885: South Armagh[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Irish Parliamentary Alexander Blane Unopposed
Irish Parliamentary win (new seat)
General election 7 July 1886: South Armagh[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Irish Parliamentary Alexander Blane Unopposed
Irish Parliamentary hold

Elections in the 1890s
General election 8 July 1892: South Armagh[1][2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Irish National Federation Edward McHugh 3,439 59.91 N/A
Irish Unionist Caesar Litton Falkiner 2,242 39.06 N/A
Irish National League Alexander Blane 59 1.03 N/A
Majority 1,197 20.85 N/A
Turnout 5,681 76.30 N/A
Registered electors 7,523
Irish National Federation gain from Irish Parliamentary Swing N/A
General election 25 July 1895: South Armagh[1][2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Irish National Federation Edward McHugh 3,378 62.87 +2.96
Irish Unionist Walter McMurrough Kavanagh 1,995 37.13 -1.93
Majority 1,383 25.74 +4.89
Turnout 5,373 74.07 -2.23
Registered electors 7,254
Irish National Federation hold Swing +2.49
  • Butler Swing from Irish Unionist to Anti-Parnellite Nationalist

Elections in the 1900s
  • Seat vacant on dissolution due to the death of McHugh
General election 9 October 1900: South Armagh[1][2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Healyite Nationalist John Campbell 1,646 56.62 +56.62
Irish Parliamentary Charles O'Neill 1,261 43.38 New
Majority 385 13.24 N/A
Turnout 2,907 40.65 -33.42
Registered electors 7,152
Healyite Nationalist gain from Irish Parliamentary Swing N/A
General election 19 January 1906: South Armagh[1][2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Irish Parliamentary William McKillop Unopposed
Irish Parliamentary gain from Healyite Nationalist
  • Death of McKillop
By-Election 5 November 1909: South Armagh[1][2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Irish Parliamentary Charles O'Neill 3,160 66.00 N/A
Irish Unionist Richard Best 1,628 34.00 N/A
Majority 1,532 32.00 N/A
Turnout 4,788 68.17 N/A
Registered electors 7,024
Irish Parliamentary hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1910s
General election 22 January 1910: South Armagh[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Irish Parliamentary Charles O'Neill Unopposed
Irish Parliamentary hold
General election 6 December 1910: South Armagh[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Irish Parliamentary Charles O'Neill 2,890 74.24 N/A
All-for-Ireland Stephen Hugh Moynagh 1,003 25.76 N/A
Majority 1,887 48.48 N/A
Turnout 6,810 57.17 N/A
Irish Parliamentary hold Swing N/A
  • Death of O'Neill
By-Election 2 February 1918: South Armagh[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Irish Parliamentary Patrick Donnelly 2,324 63.34 -10.90
Sinn Féin Patrick McCartan 1,305 35.57 'New
Independent Unionist Thomas Wakefield Richardson 40 1.09 New
Majority 1,019 27.77 -20.70
Turnout 6,345 57.83 +0.66
Irish Parliamentary hold Swing N/A
General Election 14 December 1918: South Armagh[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Irish Parliamentary Patrick Donnelly 4,345 98.21 +34.87
Sinn Féin James Thomas McKee 79 1.79 -33.78
Majority 4,266 96.42 +68.65
Turnout 15,905 27.82 -30.01
Irish Parliamentary hold Swing +34.33
  • Butler Swing from Sinn Féin to Irish Nationalist
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References
  1. Craig, FWS, ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918. London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 9781349022984.
  2. Walker, B.M., ed. (1978). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801-1922. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. ISBN 0901714127.
  • Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801–1922, edited by B.M. Walker (Royal Irish Academy 1978)
  • Who's Who of British Members of Parliament: Volume II 1886–1918, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (The Harvester Press 1978)
  • Who's Who of British Members of Parliament: Volume III 1919–1945, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (The Harvester Press 1979)
  • Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "A" (part 2)

See also
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